Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Welcomes James G. Terwilliger, SVP and COO

Nov. 8, 2022

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) announced that James G. Terwilliger has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and the Pacific Northwest Division of CommonSpirit Health. Jim has been serving in the role on an interim basis since May.

“Over the past several months, Jim has demonstrated his passion for caring for the community and his commitment to providing high-quality care,” said Ketul J. Patel, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. “We are happy to welcome him into his permanent role where he will be instrumental in achieving our organizational vision and implementing our operational and strategic initiatives.”

Jim brings 25 years of experience working in integrated health care systems and academic medical centers. Prior to his interim role, he served as President of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, where he was responsible for expanding clinical services to include neurosurgery, trauma and heart failure. He also served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; vice president of clinical services at Montefiore Medical Center in New York; president of Methodist and University Hospitals at IU Health; chief operations officer of UPMC Presbyterian; and held executive positions at USC and UCLA health systems.

“I’m delighted to join VMFH, and I'm looking forward to working with our leaders and teams to drive operational performance to continue delivering outstanding quality, safety and patient experience, so we can continue to invest in our clinical programs and increase access to care for the communities we serve,” said Terwilliger.

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region, offering access to some of the country’s most prestigious experts and hospitals that are internationally known for superior quality. With a team of 18,000 team members, including nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers, we unite the brightest health care minds in the region to provide world-class clinical excellence at 10 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care throughout the Puget Sound area. We are proud to be the home of Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research. We embrace our community’s uniquely vibrant, active culture by providing holistic, personalized and patient-centered care. We are committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our communities, especially the poor and underserved, providing more than $300 million in community benefit – free, subsidized, and reduced cost health care and programs.